Spring-wheel.



G. H. LANGTN d; J. M. KELLERMAN.

SPRING WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 26,1909.'

Patented Feb. 20, 1912,

UNITED STATES PATENT orrron.

GEORGE H. LANGTON AND JAMES M. KELLERMAN, OF LOS ANGELES; CALIFORNIA,

ASSIGNORS T0 AUTO AIR CUSHION WHEEL' COMPANY, 0F LOS ANGELES, CALI-FORNIA, A CORTORATION OF.CALIFOENIA.

' seams-WHEEL.

i Specification ot Letters Patent. i Patented Feb. 20, 1912. Applicationmed July 26, 1909. Serial No. 509,715. i

`The mam object of the present invention is to vprovide a spring wheelof strong construction and durableI and elicient in operation.

The invention 'relates to the type of spring Wheels in which a hubmember is spring supported on an outer or rim member by elastic spokemeans and the invention is directed particularly to the connection andsupport of said member in such manner that said members are supportedeffectively 'against lateral or side strains without undue friction orwear on the parts. v

` Another object of the invcntion'is to prolvide for incasing orinclosing the working parts` so as to increase the durability of thestructure.

Other objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention, and referringrthereto:

Figure 1 is a partly sectional side elevation of the wheel. vFig. 2 is atransverse section on the line :L2-wz in Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a transversesection of the rim member on the line :r3-m3 in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is atransverse section' on the line :r4-'afin Fig. 1.l

member l and a felly or rim member 2 on which the hub member isspringsupported. The felly is adapted to receive any .suitable wearingmeans or shoe, such as a solid rubber tire, said member 2 being flangedto retain said tire. Hub member 1 is provided with a` plurality ofradial spokes, projecting therefrom integral therewith each spoke beinghollow or tubular to serve as a chamber or casing 4 for aspring member5. which serves as the resilient element of the wheel.

A spoke bar 6 extendsvaxially in each tubular spoke 3 within the spring5, andy two washers 7, 8 which slide freely Within said tubular spoke.Ahead 9 on the inner end of the-spoke bar 6 engages with the innerwasher 7 which normally restsin Contact with an annular shoulder 11 atthe inner end The wheel comprises a hub or central' gages with a bushing10 which screws into the outer end of the tubular spoke 3. Each spokebar 6 is connected at its outer end to the rim member -2 in such manneras to permit'relative tangentiah movementA of said parts whilepreventing relative radial movement, so that the spoke bar 6 is forcedto move 'toward or `from the hub in correspondence with themotion of therim. Two annular rim plates 12 extend directly within the rim 2 and'inContact therewith and on each side of the series of enlarged heads 6 onsaid spoke bars having attened portions forming shoulders and'extendingbetween said rim plates and being provided .with transverse pins orprojections-13 which engage in circular grooves 14 in the respective rimplates l2, so as to prevent relative radi al grooves 15 formingenlargements or extensions of the grooves 14 to receive and engageflanges 16. of buttons 17 which are formed on radial studs 18 extendinginwardly from the rim'member 2. To enable insertion of said buttonflanges within said grooves the walls of thesaid grooves are cutaway atintervals as shown at 19 in the manner ot a .-key-hole slot, theresulting enlargement being suflicient to permit passage therethroughof't-he heads or flanges 16 of the buttons 17`, so that by passing therim plates or rings 12 within the rim member 2 with these enllargedopenings 19 in register with the re- .21Qpinning the parts 12 together,so asv to prevent circumferentialslip.

Spring members 'are brought to a condi- `com'pression thus brought ontothesprings isiin excess of the load Which is liable to be .'delivered tothe springs in normal operation due to the weight of the vehicle and itscontents. l

Each spoke bar 6 is provided with anv enlarged head or collar 6 whoseinner end normally engages with the outer washer 8 aforesaid and whoseouter end or face normally engages with the inside edges of the rimplates or rings 12.

A dust uard means is preferably provided for closin'g the space betweenthe tubular spokes 4 and the rim plates or rings 12, said dust guardmeans consisting of annular plates 22 clamped by bolts 23 to the spokesof the hub or central portion 1.

The operation is as follows: In normal osition theiouter washer 8 foreach spring ears against the bushing 10 and the inner Washer 7 for eachspring bears against the shoulder 11 at the inner end of the tubularcasing for the spring, the said washers being held inthis position bythe pressure of the spring. The weight of the vehicle and its contentstends to press the hub member downwardly and this pressure in the caseof the springs below the centei` of the wheel presses the shoulder 11'against the inner washer 7 and tends to relieve the condition ofpressure of the inner washer 7 against the nut 9,'but is not suliicientto overcome the pressure of the spring or to cause said washer to moveaway from said nut. At

the same time the downward pressure due to the weight of the vehicletends in the case of thesprings above the center of the wheel to. pressthe bushing 10 downwardly on the washer 8 and thereby to relieve thecondition of pressure of said washer'on the head G of the spokn bar, butsaid pressure is not sufficient to cause said washer lto move out ofcontact with said head. Thus, as long as tlicreis only the normalpressure exerted upon the wheel there is no substantial yielding ot theresilient members thereof and there is, therefore, no distortion orfiexure of the springs when the vehicle is traveling without jar orshock, for example, on a smooth road. But when an obstacle isencountered and a vertical jar is, therefore,

imparted to the wheel the strains which are produced at the points ofcontact above referred to are sufficient to cause the washer 7 for thelower spring to be moved away from the bolthead 9 ot said spring and thewasher 8 tor-the upper spring (ir-springs to move away from thecorreslionding spoke bar head 6', so that at such times the weight ofthe vehicle becomes rcsiliently supported and the shock or jar is takenup. Owing to the fact that there is no yielding of the re-` silientsupport under normal or smooth runp ning conditions the life of thesprings is indefinitely prolonged and the weary of the entire mechanismis reduced to a minimum. Furthermore, allstrain or shock to be absorbedis delivered to theV spring to compress the same and under no conditiondo any of -the springs expand in absorbing a shock.

This action prolongs the life of the'sp'rings. In the operation of thewheel, the pins 13 (engage with the rim members by a free slidf ingconnection, their movement not being opposed by any springs or otherdevices,y so that the movement of the hub relativelyl to the -rim isrestrained wholly by the springs in the spoke members. l

lu the relative vertical movement of the hub member and the rim member,the spoke bars or piston members 6 which are on each side of the centerwill have a 'movement in a circumferential Idirection with relation tothe rim` member. In this movement the transverse projections 13 on thespoke bars or piston members 6 slide circumferentially in the grooves inthe rim memberto a limited' extent.. As the spoke bars are guided radially within the tubular spokes, all of which are rigidly connected andsaid spoke' bars are also guided in therini member, the parts areeffectively held by sliding engagement so as to stand lateral or sidepressures in a manner which is not possible with ivoted or swingingspoke bars. Such sliding engagement, however, involves considerable'friction in case the engagement is sutiicient to effectively preventlateral motion and it is, therefore, of importance with such aconnection to provide spring means as above described which willpreventradial motion in the normal operation of the wheel, such radialmotion taking` place only .when the wheel is subjected to violent radialthrust.

This is also of importance in reducing to a minimum the wear on theinclosing means 22 which necessarily makes a sliding contact with therim, so that elimination of the radial motion in the order of theoperation enables such sliding contact ofthe inclosing means to be madesubstantially dust-tight without leading to objectionable friction inthe normal operation.

that we claim is:

1blu* a spring wheel, the coi'nhinatioii with the hub member,spolreihars mounted to move radially therein', 'spring means en.-

gaging said spoke bars and huh member to he compressed in'sueh radialmovement of the spoke bars in either direction; a tire member.A an outerrim. annular plates' within said outer -rim and having circumferentialgrooves, and buttons carried by the outer rim and enga-ging saidgrooves, the groei-ed Vportions of said plates being -provided withflanges interlocking with the buttons, said interlocking flanges beingcut a hub member, and

' in either of the spoke bars having fiattened outer endsv away atintervals for insertion of the buttons, each of" he aforesaid spoke barsbeing provided with a transverse projection enspoke bars, and hubmember', so as to be4 P compressed in such radial movement of the spokebars in either direction, heads on the outer ends of the spoke bars.,having fiattened outer ends providing shoulders and bearing against therim member, and annular rim plates fitting between the rim member andthe shoulders of vthe heads 'jand against the flattened outer ends ofthe latter, said rim plates being provided with annular grooves on theiropposed faces, means for securing the flattened outer ends of the headsand the annular rim plates together, studs connected to the rimextending between said rim plates, and buttons extending from grooves insaid rim plates to secure the rim on said rim plates.,

S. In a spring Wheel the combination with a rim member; of spoke barsmounted to move radially in the hub member, spring means engaging saidspoke bars and hub member so as to be compressed in such radial movementof the spoke bars direction, heads on the outer ends providing shouldersand bearing against the rim member, and annular rim plates littingbetween the rim member and the shoulders of the heads and against theflattened outer ends of the latter, means for securing the tiattenedouter ends of the heads and the annular rim plates together, means"t'orsecuring the rim on said annular rim plates and guard means forclosing the spaces between the hub member and the rim member,

et. In a spring Wheel,4 the combination with a hub member, and a rimAmember; of spoke bars mounted to move radially in the spoke bars inouter ends of the spoke bars having flatsaid' studs and en aoin Isaid,

hub member, springv means engaging said spoke bars and hub member so asto be compressed in such radial m'ovement of the either direction, headson the tened outer ends providing shoulders and bearlng ,against the rimmember, and annular rim plates having circular grooves and fittingbetween the rim member and the shoulders of the heads and against theflattened outer ends of the latter, transverse ends of the heads andentering the circular grooves of the annular rim plates, and means forsecuring the rim on said rim plates. g

5. In a spring Wheel, the combination with a hub member and a rimmember, of spoke bars mounted to move radially inthe hub member, springmeans engaging said spoke bars and hub member so as to be oomf pressedsuch radial movement of the ins extending across the flattened outerspoke bars in either direction, heads on the outer ends of the spokebars having flat-- tened outer ends providing shoulders and bearingagainst the rim memberand annular rim plates having circular grooves cutaway at intervals 'and annular grooves pros vidin annular flanges andlit-ting between the rim member and the shoulders of the heads Vandagainst the flattened outer ends of the' latter, transverse pinsextending across the attened outer ends of the heads and entering thecircular grooves of the rim plates, and radial studs extending in-`Wardly from' the rim member having buttons, occupying the circulargrooves, and formed with ianges passed through the cut away parts of thecircular grooves and occupying the annular grooves and engaging theannular flanges.

In testimony whereof, We have hereunto'A set our hands at Los Angeles,California, this 9th day of July 1909.

esoneri n. LANeToN. Janus M. KELLERMAN.

In presence of- F. M..'I`oWNsEND, FRANK L. A. GRAHAM.

